AudioQuest DragonFly DAC USB Digital Audio Converter - Black

Product Information

Direct-coupled, medium output: More than enough power to successfully drive a wide range of today’s efficient headphones.

AudioQuest, headquartered in Irvine, California, is a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance audio/video products and custom-install solutions, all meticulously designed to deliver outstanding performance and exceptional value. While DragonFly Black uses a high-quality headphone amp and analog volume control, DragonFly Red includes a more advanced ESS headphone amp and a bit-perfect digital volume control that resides on the 9016 DAC chip itself—a sophisticated implementation that gives Red a unique combination of power and grip over the music. OK, disambiguation addressed, I'll start my review by saying that like most anyone who's ever bought a DragonFly, I bought mine to bypass my onboard sound processor because with earphones, the sound was polluted with noise. I am not a big fan of sample-rate conversion - but in the case of the Dragonfly Black I would, where possible, use high-quality software-based resampling, such as SoX or iZotope (i. That's not to say it's always necessarily better than the equivalent non-MQA version of a track, assuming you can find otherwise identical MQA/non-MQA sources to compare.I’m not even a particularly big fan of the HD660S (I prefer the HD650 in most cases), but this was a solid performance and was easy to get lost in.

The initial attack or bite of plucked strings or percussion might be slightly less immediate than more complex converters/amps, but decay and natural reverberation are rendered well. The design gurus at AudioQuest not only gave the Black a far more energy-efficient design — ideal for portable use — but they even managed to enhance its performance. DragonFly Black is a USB digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) designed to deliver cleaner, clearer, more naturally beautiful sound from any computer, smartphone, or tablet. The Dragonfly series are designed to be plugged straight into a typical USB-A port, as found on myriad desktop and laptop units.

Removing the “robotic” traces in the higher ranges result in much smoother Vocals, saxophone and cello performance, allowing my Grado RS2e to shine through as the ultimate Norah Jones headphones.